I need some input regarding online Bachelors programs.?
Question:
Answer:
Congratulations on thinking about furthering your education, you won't regret it.
The state universities and community colleges will be the best and least expensive way to further your education online. Usually degrees obtained online from state universities and colleges will be no different than a degree granted to a student sitting in class. You probably won't get a scholarship, but financial aid is possible.
Stay away from the for-profits because of high cost. Some will be reasonable, but most, like University of Phoenix, overcharge.
Since you have an AA degree, you can enroll in an online bachelor's degree completion program at one of the state universities. Many state universities now have online degrees. The following are some websites to get you started.
http://www.fhsu.edu/virtualcollege/...
http://www.peru.edu/offuttafb/degreeprog...
http://outreach.uwyo.edu/ocp/
http://www.distance.msstate.edu/...
http://www.distancelearning.ufl.edu/degr...
http://www.apu.apus.edu/index.htm...
http://www.online.uillinois.edu/...
http://www.depts.ttu.edu/ode/collegeover...
http://worldcampus.psu.edu
To give you an idea about how much this will cost, the first school on the above list charges $137 per semester credit hour. The second school charges $130 per semester credit hour. University of Wyoming charges $134 per semester credit hour. University of Phoenix currently charges $494 per semester credit hour. Which would you rather pay?
The last school on the list is Penn State. Last I checked, they charges $400 per semester credit hour. Penn State looks a whole lot better on a resume than University of Phoenix.
When you choose a school, make sure it is at least regionally accredited. You can check accreditation at http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/search.a... You can learn more about accreditation at http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/i...
Finally, there are a couple of forums online with members who have obtained their degrees online. Some have gone pretty far with their online degrees. The forums are free to join but you can read the forum without joining. You just won't be able to post. http://forums.degreeinfo.com and http://www.instantcertonline.com/forums...
Good luck
Many of these programs are valid institutions, and you can check there accreditation's to be certain. The problem is that these institutions and for profit, whereas a conventional school is not run to make a profit, but to provide a service.
Although some can be very god, you do have to be careful as their main objective is to make money, so the quality of education you receive may be sub-standard when compared to a conventional school. My advise would be to enroll in your nearest conventional school, and take on-line classes through that institution...
Don't go with one that you've seen on t.v. or the radio. unless it is through a reputable local college. If you can go to one of the local colleges to see if they offer online degrees. They may require you to take 1-2 classes in the classroom until you have a proven GPA. Thats what happened to me. Then I took the rest of the classes online. The "15 month thing" is based on how many classes you take per semester. You need to take 60 credits for the degrees... most colleges give 3 credits per class, and each semester is 15 weeks. So if you can take 5 classes per semester, then you will be done in about 15 months (not including the time between semesters). Good luck. And good for you for going back to school.
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